Close Encounters
by reignofhavok
Summary: Jill finally finds Chris after he disappears at the mansion... in a broom closet?


Notes: This was written as part of my own fic challenge to include Chris, Jill and a broom closet. What were you expecting, Shakespeare :p 

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda, I don't own em...

---------------------------------------------------------

Jill slowly inched around the corner, her gun pointed firmly in front of her. This crazy bloody mansion was full of _them_. Ankle biters. Neck munchers. Heart starters. _Zombies_. They'd infested the place, every room, every hallway, all full of unholy creatures just dying to feast upon her flesh.

Oh but that wasn't even the worst of it. Dogs had jumped out at her through the windows downstairs, while one zombie she could have sworn she had killed actually got up and chased her back over the other side of the house. She'd almost messed herself right then and there, and her heartbeat was still pumping a mile a minute. Not to mention that stupid zombie who had decided to take a bath and stay there. Just the kind of thing you wanted to see when you emptied the water. Why had she emptied it anyway? Oh who cares, it wasn't a moment she wanted to recall.

Jill moved silently along the wall, down yet another hallway in this god forsaken mansion. She'd lost contact with Barry, Wesker had disappeared, and she still hadn't found Chris. Fan-freaking-tastic. Oh, but she had found Kenneth, oh yes. And Forrest. At least, what was left of them. She shuddered as she recalled the crows outside, unusually large and ususually vicious. Poor Forrest. Hell, poor all of them.

She continued moving, eyeing all the doors warily. She'd never be able to visit a hotel or large building again after this night was through. Doors had not been her friends tonight, for they had usually yeilded more hungry undead, either waiting patiently inside, or her personal favourite, just waiting for her to get close enough to burst out and scare her silly. She could swear they were doing it purposefully, never mind that most of them had their brains hanging out the side of their heads. Evil. The entire lot of them.

Jill stopped. She could hear something nearby.

_Tic. Tic. Tic._

What the hell was that? Zombies didn't tick, did they? No, of course they didn't. Not unless they were a master of clocks? Jill considered it briefly, as this mansion was pretty damn freaking weird. She wouldn't be surprised. It began again, but it was irregular. More like... walking?

She trained her gun towards the corner at the end of the hall. The ticking was getting louder. Her breathing intensified. If she survived the night, Wesker was going to get his ass handed to him and she was going to tell the rest of the R.P.D where they could stick their crazy fucking zombies. She wasn't paid to deal with that shit. Let them deal with the ugly, stinky flesh eaters, it's not like they did anything other than sit around and get drunk anyway.

Jill's arms began to tremble, the night and the surroundings beginning to take their toll on her. The ticking just kept on coming, louder and louder. She just wished it would step out already so she could shoot and move on. Blow the ugly thing's brai...

The door in front of Jill burst open and she felt herself being dragged inside by strong and forceful arms. She let out a yelp and began to struggle, dropping her gun in surprise. A hand quickly reached for the door handle again and pulled it shut, while another held Jill in a deadly headlock, hand over her mouth to stop her screams.

Jill looked down. The hand was human. There was no smell, and certainly no chomping on her neck. At least yet. She tried to look out the corner of her eye and noticed a familiar dagger sheath. The hand finally dropped.

"Chris!"

Chris placed a finger back over her lips and then she felt him grab her hips, pulling them towards him. Jill frowned in utter confusion for a moment, and then found her back to him again as he pulled them both to the back of the small closet. A janitor's closet by the look of things, full of brooms, mops and other equipment. It really wasn't meant for people, and the two of them barely fit. She could feel Chris' breath on her ear, and hear the more muffled ticking still going on outside.

"For the love of god Jill, be quiet," Chris whispered in her ear, sending a shiver up her spine. He was still holding onto her hips, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could, trying to make them disappear into the wall. Jill continued frowning. What in the hell's bells was going on?

The ticking was even louder now, and Jill could finally see that whatever it was, it was right outside. She could see the shadow of it, and hear something else too. It's breathing? Whatever it was, it wasn't a zombie. They shuffled. And banged. And groaned. Smelled quite a bit too. But this thing... it was walking at a leisurely pace, yes, but walking it was. The ticks must have been... its claws? Jill shuddered. She didn't want to know.

The broom closet was dead silent, she couldn't even hear Chris breathing. Although she could feel it, and it was driving her nuts. More nuts. She'd probably need years of therapy after this night. And she was going to make damn sure Wesker was going to pay for it, the crazy bastard. Sending her on a mission like this...

The ticking had stopped outside their door. She could hear intakes of breath. Not her own. The creature outside. It was sniffing. Sniffing for them? Jill unconsciously held her breath, and she felt Chris' grip on her hips tighten. Although that wasn't an entirely unpleasant feeling, she noted.

The sniffing continued (at least, she imagined it did) and then the ticks began again. It was walking away, it either didn't know or didn't care they were hiding in the tight, claustrophobic broom closet. Jill waited until the ticking was gone and then finally turned around, feeling herself pressed more closely to Chris than she'd ever been before. Well this certainly made for a nice change to the zombies who had been trying to hug her all night.

"Where the hell have you been?" she finally whispered angrily, not sure how good that creature's sense of hearing was. No use taking chances. Chris scratched his head. Or at least tried to, it was kind of cramped.

"The dogs chased me and I got seperated from the group. I found a back entrance so I ran in to escape them. Although in hindsight, I was probably better off with the dogs," he grinned wryly. Jill loved that grin, it always made her stomach tingle just a tiny bit. And in such close vicinity, it was certainly tingling now.

"Do you know what the hell that was?" she asked, slightly tilting her head towards the door. Chris shook his head, but his face had that look he put on when he was about to explain something, and you damn sure better listen.

"But trust me, you didn't want to be out there. I came across one on my way up here, whatever the hell they are, they have claws. Big claws. Almost swiped my head clean off."

Jill cringed. It was the mansion that didn't stop giving. She loved it. "So what do we do next, marksman?"

Chris flashed her a grin that wasn't entirely innocent. Jill felt hands on her backside and realised they were his. She looked up at him with an expression of surprise, and just a little bit of 'what the fuck?'

"Chris!"

He smiled again and removed his hands, nodding to himself as if he'd just been told the meaning of existence, and it had been so obvious all along. "Sorry about that. Just wanted to check that I actually was alive and this was really happening."

Jill gave him a very confused smile, while her brow also furrowed. She had to admit though, if he put his hands there again, she would probably react a whole lot differently. But this night had been weird. So very, very weird. And this was no time to be having fun in a closet, as much as she'd like to.

"We have to find Wesker."

The words finally brought her back to the current situation. Thanks, Captain Obvious.

"How do you propose we do that?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders. "I've been in here most of the night, what do you want? I take it you don't know where he is either then."

It wasn't a question, just musing out loud. His thinking face was on. Jill suddenly wanted out of the closet really badly. She grinned as she realised how that sounded in her head. But the fear was beginning to wear down and she was feeling other emotions that were just going to complicate matters. Sex in the closet with a teammate, not something she had really expected to be doing on her first mission. Although it was tempting, so very tempting... and he wouldn't say no...

"Let's go," Jill finally stated, turning around and grabbing the door handle. Any longer and she was going to do something she'd likely regret. She peered out in both directions, but couldn't see or hear anything. She picked up her wayward gun and turned around.

"Are you coming or what?"

Chris smiled at her again, looked as if he were about to comment, but then just shut his mouth. He gestured his hand, after you milady. Jill shook her head and walked off, Chris noted happily, just a little bit frustrated. He smiled again and followed. When this night was over, they'd have a lot to talk about... or not.

The grin remained on his face as they walked off to begin their search.


End file.
